Father Figure
by malevolent-deceiver
Summary: Jesse McCree has never known the love of a father, only the harsh crack of a belt.
1. Day 1: Only the Beginning

The Deadlock gang, a group of criminals that have become notorious over the past few months for organized terror attacks. Gabriel looked over the file folder he was handed then back up at the Strike Commander. He flipped through it. Overwatch had their eyes on this group for months, tracking them and gaining intel. Gabe briefly wondered why Blackwatch wasn't given the task of finding information on them, it was Overwatch's covert ops branch anyway.

"Take whoever you need to get this done. I want this group eradicated. Arrest them, kill them, I don't care."

"Jesus Jack…"

"The director won't leave me alone on this until it's done. I'm sure he's hiding something about them but its not my business…" Jack pressed his palms into his eyes. "Or yours." He added.

"Fine fine. Consider it done." Gabe said as Jack stood and walked around his desk to Gabe.

"I know I can always count on you." He flashed his pearly whites before pecking the shorter man on the lips.

"Shut up cabron." Gabe rolled his eyes before pushing him away playfully.

"Report back to me when you and your team get back."

The flight to the gang's hideout was relatively short. Gabriel had brought 4 other agents with him, including Overwatch's best doctor, Angela Ziegler. Their ship landed a ways away from the hideout. This was going to be a sting. Gabriel prefered the element of surprise when dealing with a mission like this. It made it quick and clean. Blackwatch wasn't confined by the constraints of being fair during an operation. That's what Gabed loved about it, it was good, dirty, fighting; just how it was meant to be.

The fire fight was short. Deadlock's members were disorganized, unrefined, and caught off guard. Some members fled and got away, but the majority of them were dead. Angela slowly walked through the massacre of bodies, looking to see if there were any survivors. However, she knew there wouldn't be, Gabriel had brought Blackwatch's best operatives. She knew it was the safest way to dispatch the gang, but she sometimes wished they'd pick a less lethal way of dealing with targets. She knelt by one of the bodies and placed two fingers to his neck. No pulse.

The sound of a revolver's hammer being brought back was loud in the silence of the scene. Angela stood and turned quickly, expecting to see a gang member standing behind her. Instead her gaze fell upon a gangly looking kid. Jesus, this kid couldn't have been older than 16.

"You an yer soldiers killed all my friends… I already got shots off two 'a yer friends and I ain't one to shoot a woman. Leave 'for I have to hurt you too."

"Drop the gun kid, before you hurt yourself." Gabe's voice came from behind the boy, his guns positioned at his back. The boy slowly raised his hands, the gun still in his hand. He spun around and let off all six shots at Gabe. The Blackwatch commander rolled out of the way but one of the shots got him in the thigh. "You little shit!" He raised his guns up, ready to shoot. The teen flinched, and looked like he wasn't ready to die.

"Gabe! He's just a boy!" Angela shouted, the man looked over at her before growling and throwing his guns to the ground. He approached the boy and gave him a right hook to the jaw, knocking him into his stomach. He knelt down, one knee pressed into his back while he reached for his zip tie cuffs. He picked the boy up by the back of his shirt, the hat he was wearing had fallen off, and pushed him forward.

"Hey! Wait my hat!"

"Where you're going, you won't need it, now move kid!" Gabe shoved him again, moving past the medic and side eyeing her. She only smiled at him before going to pick up said hat.

Gabe didn't like kids with bad attitudes, and this one had the worst. He stared the kid down through the glass of the interrogation room.

"He's quick."

"He's not that quick Jack." Gabe grunted at the blonde next to him.

"He wounded two of your best and shot a "super soldier" in the leg."

"Don't remind me." He said, his leg still hurt from that.

"What are you gonna do with him?"

"Not sure yet." He really didn't know. He could get the boy to enlist, but that would mean putting the hours in to train him. He wasn't a baby sitter. Jack handed him a folder before turning to leave.

"Here's his file, kid's only 16 and already has a rap sheet a mile long."

Gabe flipped through it before sighing and walking into the room.

"I ain't tellin you military types anything." The boy spat at the ground. Gabe sat in the chair across from him and opened up the folder.

"Jesse McCree-"

"That's m'name." The boy interrupted.

"Age 16. Joined the Deadlock gang at 13 after years of petty robbery." Gabe looked up from the papers. "Your mother must be so proud."

"You shut yer mouth about my momma!"

Gabe smiled softly, this kid still cared about his family, how sweet.

"Does she know about her boy's gang activities?"

"I said shut up!"

"What would she say if we called her?"

"She's dead you asshole!"

Oh, oh.

That wasn't in his file. Tears pricked at the corners of Jesse's eyes. "They told me they wouldn't hurt her." His voice had gone quiet. "They told me if I helped them, she'd be safe. I thought I was protectin' her. I was the man of the house and I couldn't keep her safe!"

Gabe remained silent. This kid didn't choose to join the gang, he was forced.

"Listen kid, the way I see it, you've got two choices. Spend the better part of your life in prison," He stood and walked around to the boy, taking off the cuffs, "or enlist as a member of Blackwatch, and help us get the rest of those bastards. For your mom." He said as he slid form and a pen in front of him. "Let me help you." The boy looked up at him for a moment.

"Why would you wanna help me? I shot you and yer buddies."

"Cause you remind me of myself when I was your age, I lost my mom when I was younger too. I was pissed off at the world, and I wish I would have had someone to pull my head out of my ass back then." Gabe explained. Jesse looked down at the paper, then back up at the man.

"Fine, where do I sign?"

After filling out the paper, Gabe led the boy out into the hall. Jack had been outside, watching the entire time.

"Strike Commander Morrison, this is Jesse McCree, he's decided to enlist with Blackwatch to avoid prison."

"You made the right choice son." Jack smiled and patted Jesse's shoulders.

"It wasn't much of a choice y'all were givin' me." McCree said with a bit of spitfire in his voice. Gabe smacked the back of Jesse's head.

"Hey!"

"Commander Morrison, like myself, is your superior officer now. You'll speak to him with respect. I hope you know what that is."

"'Course I know what it is, just that he looks to be one o' them pencil pusher types. Like he ain't seen a lick of action in his life."

That earned another, harsher, smack to the back of the head.

"Jack Morrison has saved my ass on more than one occasion you ungrateful little-"

"It's okay Commander Reyes." Jack interrupted, catching the gazes of both Jesse and Gabe. "Save all that spitfire for your training. Give Reyes a run for his money." He grinned down at the boy before looking over at Gabe.

"Thanks buddy." Gabe shot him a glare before ushering the boy forward. "C'mon kid. Let's go see if Dr. Ziegler can do your physical."

The trip to the medical wing was short, they hardly passed anyone in the halls, just a few dedicated cadets jogging through the halls. Gabe knocked on the door as the pair entered.

"Ah! Gabriel, and Jesse I presume?"

"Yes Ma'am." Jesse gave her a polite nod.

"I was wondering when I would see you two." She said as she grabbed a hospital gown, handing it to the boy. "Please put this on, you can leave your clothes in the restroom." She smiled.

"M'kay." he nodded sheepishly as he went to change. Gabe looked around the room, seeing the examination table set up with a heart and blood pressure monitor. A rolling tray was placed next to it with vials and a syringe for taking blood samples. The examination table also had an armrest attached to it.

"Ang, You set up already without me saying anything. You didn't know what I was gonna do with the kid." Gabe gave her a confused look.

"Oh please Gabriel. You may try to come off as such a brute, but I know you… You have a soft spot for his type." She gave him a knowing smile.

"You ended up recruiting that little shit who shot me and Matthews?" A voice came from the otherside of the room. A dark haired soldier, who looked to be in his early thirties, with his arm in a sling sat on a bed.

"Yes, I did Cade. He's a good shot, managed to get me in the leg."

"He nearly killed us!" Another soldier was on the bed next to Cade, presumably Matthews, spoke up next. He had his shirt off and had a gauze pad over his side.

"Oh please, both of you merely had flesh wounds. In fact, You could have left a while ago." She walked over and shooed them out. "Schnell, Schnell, Out of my medical lab!" She ordered the two away.

A few moments passed and Jesse came out of the bathroom. She patted the examination table. "Up up,"

Jesse did as he was told. She began hooking him up to the monitor in silence as Gabe went to the side, leaning against the wall with his hands folded over his chest.

"...hey Doc?" Jesse broke the silence, earning Gabes attention.

"Hmm?"

"Sorry for threatenin' you before… My momma taught me to be respectful of ladies, 'specially ones as pretty as yourself. I guess I just forgot that." He said sheepishly.

"That's quite alright Jesse. You aren't the first person to threaten me, and you certainly won't be the last. Hazards of the job." She explained as she placed the last sensor on him. She walked over to the cabinet that Gabe was standing by and grabbed a pair of examination gloves. "You've got yourself a little gentleman there." She whispered with a little giggle.

"Don't let him fool you Ang, he just thinks you're pretty." Gabe smirked as she walked back over to Jesse. The monitor beeped steadily, showing a healthy blood pressure and heart rate.

"Wunderbar. Place your arm on the armrest please." She tied a tourniquet around Jesse's arm, tapping the junction between his upper and lower arm to get a vein. She cleaned the area with an alcohol wipe. She grabbed the blood drawing needle and a test tube while the area dried. She pierced his skin with the needle, the blood began to fill the tube. She switched out for two more vials before placing a cotton ball over the injection site and pulled the needle out. She wrapped medical tape over the cotton ball. "Alright, lay back please." She instructed before pressing on various places on his stomach, asking if that hurt, or was uncomfortable. When she was satisfied she had him sit up. She grabbed the stethoscope from around her neck and used her hand to warm up the diaphragm before checking his lungs. She frowned and removed the stethoscope from her ears and placing it back around her neck.

"Jesse McCree do you smoke?" She chided him.

"Ah, yeah, cigars." he admitted timidly.

"Well, stop that. If you don't quit on your own, I will make you."

"Better do as she says, Angela can be scary when she wants to be." Gabe added.

"Yes Ma'am, I'll do my best."

"Alright, Other than that, I'd say your fit for duty." She smiled and pulled off her gloves, she went to a cabinet and pulled out a change of clothes, handing the folded pile to the new recruit. "I had to guess your size, go ahead and change." She motioned to the restroom before sending a nurse to the lab with his blood samples.

Moment's later, Jesse came out wearing the casual Blackwatch uniform. It consisted of a plain black t-shirt, cargo pants, and a chest plate.

"Fits like a glove Doc." He smiled.

"Good… Although… it's missing something…" She placed a finger to her chin in mock thought. "Ah that's right!" She went to the cabinet and pulled out something, hiding it from the boy. "You dropped this before."

"My hat!" He grabbed it and placed it on his head, adjusting it before holding his arms out. "How do I look commander?" He grinned.

"You look ridiculous, come on, I'll show you your quarters, you can get cleaned up." he motioned for the boy to follow him.

The room was plain, with a single sized bed and desk with a lamp, there was a door off to the side, presumably to a bathroom. "You can decorate it however you like, Take a shower, then hit the hay. Training begins at 0500." Gabe said before turning to leave him there.

"Hey Boss?"

Gabe sighed, he supposed that was about as close to respect as he was going to get with the kid.

"Yes Agent McCree?" He didn't turn to look at him.

"Thanks… For not givin' up on me like my old man."

Oh that hurt his heart. This kid was too much like himself for his own liking.

"Get some sleep kid. Tomorrow's gonna be rough."


	2. Day 2: He's not a bad kid

Jesse wasn't used to waking up so early. 5:00 AM was a stupid time to wake up. He groggily rolled out his bed, slamming his alarm clock to silence.

" **Good Morning Agent McCree. My name is ATHENA. Commander Reyes is waiting in the training rooms down the hall to the left of your room.** "

The voice scared the boy nearly out of his skin before he regained his composure. He was slow to pull on his pants and shirt.

"Uh, thanks." He spoke out before grabbing his hat and exiting the room.

Just as the automation had said, Reyes was waiting in a large, off-white room. One hand was placed on his hip while the other was at his side clutching a duffle bag, and he looked rather disgruntled.

"You're ten minutes late."

"Sorry, it took-"

"I don't want excuses, fix the problem, and don't let it happen again," Gabe said in a stringent tone.

"Yes sir."

Hm, good, seemed like the kid could pick up on certain things quickly. Gabe dropped the bag then gave the kid a once over.

"You really like that damned hat, don't you?" Gabe let out a sigh, he knew he wasn't going to be able to get the kid to stop wearing it, it was a futile battle.

"You damn right I do. My momma gave it to me."

"Fair enough. Alright. Let's see what you can do. You and your enemy are both without weapons, attack me like you would a combatant." He said as he readied his stance, his feet parallel with his shoulders to ground himself.

"Suit yerself." Jesse bolted forward before sliding down to swipe Gabe's left leg out from under him. Gabe barely even registered when the boy impacted with him, he reached down to grab the teen but Jesse had rolled away. McCree had hopped back onto his feet before throwing a punch at the Commander, Gabe caught his hand and twisted his arm behind his back before slamming him to the ground.

"Lesson one, find your enemies weakness before striking. You went for my left leg, you should have gone for the right: the one you injured yesterday."

"That's fightin dirty!"

"Do you think someone who wants to kill you is gonna fight fair?! You find your enemies weakness and exploit it, or you're dead." Gabe said before standing up and helping the boy to his feet. "Blackwatch is different than Overwatch. We don't follow all the same rules as them. We don't fight fair, as your "friends" found out yesterday." Jesse glared and regained his stance. It seemed as if he was still bitter about that.

"Again." Gabe said finally.

"I don't wanna hurt you old man." That earned a harsh jab to the side. The boy doubled over in pain.

"There, now _if_ you manage to hurt me, we're even." Gabe knew this wasn't a fair fight. He was twice Jesse's size and three times as strong as him. Jesse straightened again before attacking Gabe again, this time going for a right hook to his jaw. Gabe backed away from the hit before quickly moving behind the boy and wrenching his arms behind him. He swiped his legs out from under him and let the boy fall onto his stomach, pinning him there.

"Lesson Two: don't let your enemy get behind you, should be common sense kid."

"This ain't fair! You're bigger than me!"

"And out in the field, you're likely to meet people bigger than _me_. You need to adapt and find a way to gain the upper hand." Gabe kept just enough pressure on Jesse's back to urge him to find a way to overpower him. Jesse struggled against the other and kicked up into Gabe's stomach. Gabe groaned a little then let Jesse go. "Good." he stood then helped the boy up. "You're a quick learner." He pat the kid on the shoulder, giving him a small smile. He was satisfied with how he assessed Jesse's hand to hand combat. Jesse seemed surprised by his smile. "Let's see how you are with a gun."

Jesse smiled up at him, "I'm the best damn sharpshooter Deadlock had." He said rather proudly. Gabe walked over to the side console and typed in a few codes. A panel on the wall behind him opened, revealing a stock of training weapons. Most were semi-automatic weapons, with a few pistols and revolvers scattered here and there. The opposite wall's panels flipped to reveal six targets.

"We'll see just how good you are then." He made a motion to the stock for Jesse to chose one. The boy walked over and looked over the weapons before picking up a polished .44 magnum revolver. He whistled a little.

"Ain't she the prettiest thing."

"Are you going to shoot it, or take it to dinner?" Gabe chuckled. Jesse gave him a little sneer before walking over to the distance marker. In a flash, he let off all six rounds, he hit all the target's indeed, but he was only near the center on 3 of them. Gabe blinked in surprise, rather impressed by the display. Jesse smiled back at him, spinning the weapon around his finger.

"Don't get cocky, kid. You're fast, but you're not accurate." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I think though, if paired with the right mentor, you could be one of our most deadly agents." He said before pressing a button on the console. "ATHENA, can you tell Captain Amari to come to Blackwatch Training Room 3?"

" **Yes Commander Reyes.** "

After a few minutes, a woman with long dark hair and olive skin walked into the room. "You wanted to see me Gabriel?" she had a heavy accent.

"Jesse McCree, He's the newest recruit for Blackwatch. Jesse this is Captain Ana Amari, she's the best sniper Overwatch has."

"It's a pleasure ma'am." Jesse tipped his hat to the woman.

"Since when did Blackwatch start recruiting children Gabriel?" She folded her arms over her chest and shifted her weight to one side. Gabe ignored that statement and walked over to the boy, handing him six more bullets to load. Ana sighed and let her arms fall to the side before following Gabe behind the console.

"Alright kid, again."

Six more shots rang out rapid fire, six more targets were hit, in different spots. Ana's jaw dropped slightly.

"Alright McCree, get up on the track and do some laps."

"How many boss?"

"Till you throw up." Gabe ordered. The boy paled a bit and looked like he wanted to say something, then thought better of it, before heading to the overhead track. He left his chest plate and hat by the console on his way up.

"Always a hardass when it comes to training." Ana commented.

"He's a good kid Ana, and a damn fast shooter. He just needs to up his accuracy. Think you're up to the task?" Gabe looked over at her.

"I can show him what I know. I have to attend meetings with Jack all day however-"

"Of course you do."

" _But_ I can start him tomorrow." Ana finished with a slight glare at Gabe.

"Fine, I suppose I shouldn't run him to death then huh?" He asked as he motioned above where Jesse had already started his laps, finishing his second one. Ana gave one nod with a smile.

"I don't want him falling asleep on me while he has a loaded gun in his hand." She smiled back at him. Gabe thought it over a moment, allowing Jesse to finish a third lap.

"Hey kid!" He yelled up.

"Yeah boss?" Jesse didn't stop running, but he sounded a bit winded.

"15 more laps then hit the showers, got it?"

"Yessir." He said and ran a bit faster. Gabe smiled before looking over at Ana who gave him an incredulous look, her arms folded over her chest.

"What?" He asked and held his hands up in a shrug. Captain Amari shook her head and moved to exit the training room.

"See you tomorrow Jesse." She called out as she left.

"Yes… ma'am…" The boy was panting more heavily as he ran.

Soon enough, he was finished with his laps. He made his way down the stairs and bent over, placing his hand on his knees to catch his breath. He looked up at Gabe with a smile. "She's gonna train me?" He asked. Gabe handed him a bottle of water and Jesse nearly cried with joy. He drank greedily at first before slowing down as to not make himself sick.

"She's going to help your accuracy, I'm still training you. You're a Blackwatch agent, not Overwatch. We have different methods of getting things done." The commander explained. "Overwatch does things by the book, because that's what the public sees, they're the poster child of hope for the people. Blackwatch is able to bend the rules. The public doesn't know the details of our missions, only that the objective was completed."

"What happens if the mission isn't completed?" Jesse asked as he picked up his hat and chest plate.

"That doesn't happen." Gabe said matter-of-factly. "Now go get cleaned up and get some breakfast in you. I'll meet you in the dining area to introduce you to everyone." he paused, "Everyone that is important anyway." he chuckled softly.

Evenings at the Overwatch base were quiet, most of the agents were asleep, resting for their tasks the next day. Two members however, laid quietly with each other, enjoying the silence and each other's presence.

"You went easy on him today." The blonde was the first to break the comfortable silence.

"It was his first day, and Ana didn't want him tired out for tomorrow."

Sleepy brown eyes met equally sleepy blues. Gabe's head rested on Jack's chest while a hand gently stroked his bare back.

"You're soft on the kid." Jack chuckled. Gabe sat up and looked over the shirtless man.

"He's not a bad kid Jack. He just needs a little guidance."

"Like you did?" At that, Gabriel went silent. He laid his head back onto Jack's chest, a hand lazily stroked his pale stomach.

"Yeah… like I did."


	3. Day 3: The Demons of the Past - Part 1

**A/N: Warning** : This chapter contains descriptions of domestic and child abuse. If this triggers you, please press the "end" button on your keyboard to reach the bottom for a PG summary of the chapter, as it does contain an important plot piece.

 _Jesse was eager to get home after school. His mom told him she was making lasagna for supper that morning, Jesse loved all his mom's cooking, but her lasagna was the BEST. He skipped several steps on the porch of his house to make it inside. He stopped just outside the door, there was a screaming match again. Jesse thought about if he should go in quietly, or just leave altogether, go to the park and wait it out. A loud slap and the yelp from a woman rang out, followed by several more loud, solid slaps. Jesse burst through the door, abandoning his backpack at the door, and ran into the kitchen where the sounds originated from. He made a grab at the man who was hitting his mom to pull him off._

" _Get offa my mom!" He yelled as he tried to pry the bigger man away. This infuriated him further, his rage turning on the boy. He grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off the ground with ease._

" _You need to learn some manners boy." the man growled as he used one hand to undo his belt and pulled it off._

" _Let him go Boone, don't you touch him!"  
_ " _Shut up woman! Don't tell me how to discipline my boy." he dragged the struggling kid out of the kitchen and into the living room. "Don't you even think I'm done with you yet." he called into the other room. He sat on the couch and forced Jesse into his lap. He held both ends of the belt in one hand and gave five harsh cracks to Jesse's backside before moving up his back, striking him with little mercy. Jesse screamed, and kicked, and cried, trying to wriggle away from the vice like grip his father had on him. The sound of quick steps approached and a solid crack to the side of Boone's head was made with a bat. Jesse's mom had come to her boy's rescue. Boone pushed the boy off his lap harshly and stood, turning his attention back on the woman._

" _Oh darlin, you shouldn'ta done that." He said menacingly, blood dripped from the side of his face. The woman had a look of pure terror in her eyes, dropping the bat, before police sirens approached. Jesse had curled into himself on the floor, sobbing softly. "You called the pigs?!" the man glared before quickly making his way to the kitchen._

" _No! Boone baby, you know I wouldn't."_

" _Shut up Grace! I ain't goin to jail on account o' you or that little shit." He slipped out of the back window. Soon the police were at their door, a pair of detectives. Grace brushed herself off and tried to make herself more presentable, but the handprint on her cheek and her slowly swelling eye gave her away._

" _Where is he ma'am?" One of the two detectives asked. Jesse's sobs went silent, he knew the drill when there were policemen at the door. Don't say a word, daddy isn't home right now._

" _Who would ya'll be referin to now detective?"_

" _Your husband, Boone McCree. He give you that shiner?" the other man asked, motioning to her eye._

" _What this? Oh no. My Boone wouldn't hurt a fly." She laughed nervously. "You know it's embarrasin' now but, I tripped in my bedroom and hit my head on the dresser this mornin."_

" _And the bruise startin on your cheek." With that, Grace went silent for a moment._

" _Boone ain't home, I don't know what he's gone off an done, but me and my boy got nothin to do with it. Now officers, unless you have a warrant to search my home, I'd like you to leave. I've got a lasagna to make for my little boy." She smiled sweetly through the partial lie at the two men. They seemed to look past her, into the house before looking back at her. One of them pulled a card out of his shirt pocket and handed it to her._

" _When he comes home, you be sure to give me a call." Grace took the card and looked it over._

" _Of course Detective Wolland." She said before closing the door. She waited for the car to pull away before rushing to her baby boy's side._

" _Jesse, Jesse baby it's alright now…" She scooped the 8-year-old up into her arms and held him, rocking him gently._

" _Jesse? Jesse?"_

"Jesse!"

McCree was knocked out of his thoughts by Captain Amari.

"Focus now." She said sternly.

"Sorry ma'am… I didn't get much sleep last night." He said sincerely. He was stuck dwelling on his nightmare from last night. It was more of a memory being re-lived, but he didn't understand why. Ana held out the same magnum he used yesterday.

"Well, Commander Reyes told me how much you liked this one, so I've asked our weapons man to design a revolver for you."

"Really?" Jesse sounded surprised, and hopeful. He took the weapon from her. It was a warm sunny day, so Ana had brought Jesse to the outdoor range.

"Alright. Now, for now, I want you to only focus on accuracy. Your speed won't count for anything if you can't properly hit your target." She started. "Carefully aim for the target, take a deep breath, then exhale as you fire." She instructed. Jesse did exactly as instructed, hitting the first target dead center on the first shot.

"Wonderful!" Ana said in a proud and excited tone. "You're a natural. Again." Jesse took five more shots at the targets, hitting each one directly. "Excellent! Now. I can't instruct you on how to fire rapidly while doing this. You're going to have to combine both techniques to suit you. Think you can handle that?" She pat the boy on the shoulder.

"Yes ma'am. Thank you." He tipped his hat up to her.

"You're very welcome Jesse. Come on.. Let's get you some lunch hm?"

"Hey, now you're speakin my language."

The dining hall was mostly empty, small groups were spaced out, chatting amongst themselves. One table had two very familiar faces. Jesse approached and sat accross from Gabriel and Jack with a smile.

"Hey boss." he nodded to Gabe. "and other boss." then to Jack

"Jesse, how did your training with Captain Amari go?" Gabe asked between bites of his pasta dish.

"He did wonderfully Gabriel. I wouldn't mind having him on my team of sharpshooters." Ana said, sitting beside Jesse with her tray.

"Back off Amari, McCree is a blackwatch agent. No contest."

"Fight nice you two." Jack said, not looking up from his salad. Their bickering fell upon deaf ears with Jesse, Ana was the first to pick up on the boys disosication.

"Gabe, he was like this during our training too." She mentioned to him. "He said he didn't sleep well, but I'm not sure that's the entire truth."

"Yeah, you're right. It's not." Gabe stood and walked over to Jesse's other side. "Alright kid, C'mon, we need to talk." He carefully placed a hand on Jesse's shoulder to gain his attention without spooking the boy.

"What? Why?"

"Cause I'm your commanding officer and I said so, come on, get up." he said, urging the boy to his feet.

"Alright, alright, i'm gittin'." Jesse said as he stood and walked with Gabe. They walked in silence to Gabe's office, the teenager was afraid of what this conversation might entail. Upon entering the room, Gabe closed the door.

"ATHENA, disable the audio and visual cameras to my office."

" **Commander Reyes, may I remind you that the surveillance is there for your prote-** "

"Just do it." he ordered before muttering 'Damn machine' under his breath.

" **Very well, surveillance to Commander Reyes' office: disabled.** "

Gabe leaned against his desk and motioned for Jesse to take a seat in one of the chairs, which he did.

"Alright kid, talk, what's goin on with you? Ana told me you were spacing out during training today? Not a good way to start." Gabe started. Jesse held his hands in his lap, his gaze met the floor.

"I told her, I just didn't sleep well is all." He stated.

"Bullshit. With how much you I ran you yesterday, you should have slept like a baby." Gabe folded his arms over his chest. "C'mon kid, you can talk to me. It's why I shut the surveillance off. Anything you say to me here is just between you and me." Jesse looked up at him then off to the side.

"I… I had a nightmare, okay?" Jesse said finally. "Well, it was really more of a memory, bout my daddy."

"Go on."

"Boone's not a nice man, okay. He really liked wailin on my momma." Jesse explained. "If I so much as made a peep about it, I got his belt. I still got a few scars on my back from how hard he used to hit me. When I was eight, he up and ran out on me and momma. Cops came lookin' for him, and he bolted like a coward."

"Your father's name is Boone?" Gabe asked before moving around his desk and rifling through a file cabinet. He pulled out a rather thick file and searched through it.

"Yeah, why?"

"Is this him?" Gabe pulled out a picture and dropped it on his desk in front of Jesse. His eyes widened as he saw this picture, confirming to Gabe that it was him without Jesse even saying so.

"Why you got a picture of that bastard in one o' yer files boss?" Jesse was very wary now, he knew his father had criminal ties, but why would Blackwatch know about it?

"Because, your 'daddy' is the head of the Deadlock gang."

Summary for those that couldn't read the full chapter:

Last night, Jesse relives the abuse he and his mother, Grace, received at the hands of his father, Boone, through a nightmare. During his accuracy training with Ana, he dwells on it, spacing out. it concerns her, but she doesn't press into the subject, as he explains he "didn't sleep well". After training, Ana and Jesse join Jack and Gabe in the dining hall for lunch, once again, Jesse dissociates heavily. Ana tells Gabe of the events during training and Jesse's excuse. Gabe isn't buying it, not entirely. He pulls Jesse out of it and brings him to his office, disabling the surveillance in the room so he and Jesse can have a private 'what's-said-in-here-stays-in-here' conversation. Jesse explains that "Boone isn't a nice man", that his father abused him and his mother. His father left them when he was eight after law enforcement closed in on him at the house. Gabe recognizes the name and pulls a picture out of a file, showing it to Jesse and asking if that was his father. Jesse is confused, why does the Blackwatch commander have a picture of his daddy in a file? Gabe tells him that Boone is the head of what's left of the Deadlock gang.

And thus the chapter ends.


	4. Day 3: The Demons of the Past - Part 2

"You gotta be shittin' me!" Jesse yelled. He was up on his feet, pacing the room. Gabriel simply followed the boys movements with his eyes, letting the boy let off some well deserved steam. "That motherfucker is the reason my momma is dead?" The teenager was absolutely livid. He'd followed right in that assholes footsteps. He couldn't imagine how disappointed his mother would have been in him. Oh god. What if they told her? What if she found out that he had joined the Deadlock gang? He sat back in the chair, seemingly defeated. "What if they told my momma… what if that was the last thing she thought of before they… before she-"

"Jesse, I'm sure you were the last thing she thought of, but it wasn't about you joining Deadlock." Gabe interrupted and finally stood upright, pulling Jesse into a hug. "I'm gonna help you find him, and the rest of the gang. We're gonna kill the others, then bring your father back here."

Jesse was surprised by the hug, but didn't fight it. It had been literal years since he was last embraced, and he nearly melted in Gabriel's arms, sobbing.

"I'm sorry kid." He took off Jesse's hat and placed a hand on his head. He felt furious, but was good at hiding it. Oh the things he was going to do to this bastard when he got his hands on him. He was going to break several ethics laws with this one, and frankly, he didn't care. In the short time he's known Jesse, he'd grown attached to the kid. McCree wasn't a bad kid, by any stretch of the word. He was just misguided by the world he grew up in. Gabriel of all people could understand that.

After a while, Jesse calmed down, now just resting his head against Gabe's chest. He pulled away and took his hat from Gabe.

"Gimme that." He pulled the hat back onto his head and wiped his face with his palms. "Jeeze, look at me, big fuckin' cry baby."

"Jesse, you're just a kid, most _adults_ wouldn't survive what you've been through." Gabe started. "You're allowed to cry when you feel overwhelmed. Don't bottle up your emotions to keep some pseudo-macho front, it's gonna do more harm than good. My office will always be open for you. I'll program a protocol for ATHENA to close off all surveillance for privacy, okay?" He pat his shoulder. "You're the strongest damn kid I know, I'm proud of you. Through all this, you survived."

"Man, stop, you're gonna make me start bawlin again!" Jesse said as he pulled away from Gabe and turned away with his head down. "Thanks boss." He said after a while. Jesse didn't _want_ to push away Gabe, even though every instinct was telling him to. _Push him away before he wises up to what a fuck-up you are_.

"Feel better?" Gabe broke the silence.

"Yeah,"

"Good, lets go finish lunch, I want to finish my pasta."

The pair had rejoined the table, Gabe took his place to Jack's right. The blonde gave the Blackwatch commander a curious look.

"Later." Was Gabe's only response between bites.

"Guten Tag everyone. How are you all feeling today?"

Jesse looked up, seeing the pretty doctor from the other day.

"Angela! Not eating in your lab today?" Jack asked, surprised.

"Quick Ana, get the champagne!" Gabriel joked and laughed.

"Ha. Ha. Gabriel, very funny." Angela sounded unamused. "Ah! Jesse! Wonderful to see you again. I was just going to find you after lunch and tell you your blood work came back. You are the healthiest 16 year old I've ever seen." She smiled. "Other than the smoking that is." She added as an afterthought.

"Thank you ma'am, I'll work on that, I promise." Jesse flashed her a toothy smile before returning his attention to his food.

"I _will_ hold you to that Jesse."

"Aw come on Ang, leave the kid alone." Gabe looked up at her and rolled his eyes. "Let him eat in peace." Jack only chuckled softly as he stood and disposed of his tray.

"Fine, fine…" Angela sighed as she began to eat.

"You may want to listen to her Jesse. Doctor Ziegler can be quite scary when she wants to be." Ana whispered over to the boy.

"I'll take yer word for it ma'am." he smiled in response. He liked this, it felt like… like a family. Jesse returned his attention to his food.

"So Ana, when do we get to see little Fareeha again?" Gabe asked, breaking the short silence.  
"She's not so little anymore Gabriel, and I'm not so sure about bringing her around again."  
"Aw Come on Ana, She loves it here." Jack said as he returned to the table.

"A military base is no place for an 11 year old girl." The woman frowned.

"She's better at fighting than half my new recruits Ana, she can handle herself." Jack said, taking a drink from the glass he still had. Angela realized where this conversation was quickly going to head and stood.  
"Jesse, why don't you let me show you around the base, I'm sure Commander Reyes neglected to give you a tour." She said with a sweet smile. Jesse took the hint and stood, clearing his tray and following the medic out of the dining hall.

"Thank you ma'am." he said as he was quick to follow.  
"I'm not worried about how she handles herself Jack, I'm worried about the influence this place has on her. She's already talking about joining when she's of age! And now that you've recruited someone _well_ under age, I know she won't leave me alone about joining earlier. I don't want this kind of life for her, this kind of burden we bear." Ana, ever the protecting mother, had a point. With Jesse's recruitment, Fareeha would absolutely press to join earlier than 18 now.

"Is it so bad that she wants to follow in her mother's footsteps?" Gabe asked. "She thinks the world of you Ana, she told me she wants to be just like you when she grows up." he added.

"She doesn't know what that means for her Gabriel." Ana was growing more irritated. " _ **I**_ am her mother. I decide the future for my daughter." She was stern with her words. Gabe and Jack went quiet, knowing better than to press Ana when she used _that_ tone. The silence was uncomfortable at best.

"Well, I have some paperwork to finish up, Gabe why don't you come with me and tell me what's eating your new recruit?"

"Yep! Coming." He was quick to stand and follow Jack, wanting to get out of Ana's death glare.

In Jack's office, Gabe sat on Jack's desk, having shoved papers away just out of courtesy. Jack made a soft grunt of irritation before settling into his chair in front of Gabe.

"He's not a bad kid, Jack."

"So you keep saying." the blonde had an amused tone to his voice.

"He didn't join the deadlock gang of his own volition. They threatened his mother if he didn't help them. They killed her anyway once his first job was done." Gabe started. "His dad is a fucking piece of shit. Beat on his wife, and on Jesse if he so much as made a peep about it."

"Plenty of kids suffer from child abuse Gabe, we can't save them all." Jack wasn't intending to be cruel, he was being realistic.

"His dad is the head of the Deadlock gang." Gabe's tone turned serious. Jack frowned.

"He ordered his own wife to be killed?"

"That's how it seems." He responded with a shrug.

"Does Jesse know?"

"Told him in my office, didn't take it well, as expected." Gabe answered before pausing a long time. "Jack, this piece of shit needs to pay."  
"I agree. We'll bring him to justice and he can face the U.N."

"No Jack… he needs to pay the Blackwatch way." Gabriel clarified.

"Gabe, the man is on almost every most wanted list in the world, not dead or alive, _**just alive**_. If he turns up mysteriously dead, shortly after Blackwatch conducted a raid, people are going to start asking questions about how its run." Jack explained.

"The _leader_ of Deadlock is wanted in almost every country, not "Boone McCree". We'll peg one of the other members as the ringleader. It's not like we haven't done that before." Gabe offered. Jack went quiet, thinking for a moment before sighing.

"Alright, Do what you need to, don't get caught, don't leave a paper trail, and for God sake Gabe," he started, "Let me know when you have that bastard in custody. I want a crack at him." This brought a smile to Gabriel's face. He straddled Jack's lap and pulled him into a kiss.

"God, I love you." he smirked, and pulled him into another kiss.


	5. Day 67: The Gift

**A/N:** Summary: Two months have passed, Jesse just turned 17 and Gabe has a belated birthday present for him.

* * *

Days turned into months at Overwatch headquarters. Jesse fit right in among his peers, and gave most of them a run for their money during sparring sessions. There was still quite a bit of distrust among some of the older Blackwatch operatives when it came to the boy, but he merely brushed it off his shoulders.

The shooting range was mostly empty, Jesse liked it that way, and the day was clear. He had been spending most of his free time here, practicing, combining his own style with what Captain Amari had taught him. He had perfectly combined the two, hitting every target deadly speed, and now accuracy.

He had just let off another six shots from his favorite gun in the ranges arsenal when Ana and Gabe approached him.

"Evenin' boss, Capn' Amari." He turned to face them as he set the gun down.

"Come with us Jesse." Gabriel sounded deathly serious, causing Jesse's smile to fade.

"Whaddid I do?" He was genuinely confused as he followed the pair of officers. He didn't like the serious tone that Gabe held in his voice and on his face. The smile Gabe and Ana shared was missed by the teen.

"Just follow Jesse, don't ask questions."

* * *

 _"Just follow Jesse, don't ask questions." A taller man in full 'cowboy' garb spoke, his southern drawl was thick. Jesse was led to a small bar in town, a burly balding man sat on the front of the wooden porch._

 _"Evenin' Cash, Jesse. Boys are in there, straight back." He greeted them._

 _"Thank ya kindly Jed." The man now known as Cash responded, tipping his hat then entered. The bar was bustling with patrons and pretty bartenders serving them. Cash led Jesse to the back. Jesse's mind wandered to the worst, maybe he didn't do the job they wanted correctly. They were gonna kill his mom right in front of him, this was it._

 _Once they reached the back, whoops and hollers erupted, people Jesse had never met were patting him on the back, congratulating him. Before him sat a chair, a man with a tattoo gun and station was set next to it._

 _"Yer one of us now boy, let's make it official." Cash said as he motioned Jesse to the chair. Jesse beamed and sat down, giving his left forearm to the man to forever mark him as a member of the Deadlock Gang._

* * *

Jesse was brought back to his thoughts when the pair had brought him to the armory. Jesse beamed and looked over at Ana.

"Is my gun ready?" He asked with a huge smile on his face.

"C'mon kid, lets go see Torbjörn." Gabe ruffled his hat a bit and ushered him forward. The gun room was large with weaponry of every shape and size hanging on the wall. "Let me go get him, stay here with Ana." and with that, Gabriel disappeared through another set of doors.

"Y'know, last time someone brought me somewhere where I didn't know where I was goin, I got this." He motioned to the tattoo on his forearm.

"I'm sorry Jesse, Gabriel and I thought you would like the surprise." She gave him a look of regret.

"No no, I love it… just made me think is all. I like this family much better." He smiled up at her just as Gabriel walked back in with a short, stocky man trailing behind him. He carried a case beside him.

"She was a bit of a challenge, but I think she'll serve her purpose." The short man said with a thick Swedish accent.

"Thank you Torbjörn, for everything." Ana smiled at him.

"You're welcome miss Ana." He handed the case to Gabriel before leaving the trio.

"Well, lets go."

"Oh come on Gabe! I wanna see it!" Jesse felt just like a boy on christmas day.

"Nope, got one more surprise at the main building." Jesse groaned at this, causing Ana to chuckle.

At the primary building, Ana parted ways with Jesse and Gabe at the latter's office. Inside, Strike Commander Morrison was waiting behind Gabriel's desk. A black gift box sat on the desk before him.

"Jesse McCree, As Strike Commander for Overwatch and overseer of Blackwatch, I see you fit for full active duty." The blond smiled and pushed the box over towards Jesse.

"You serious?" Jack nodded in response. "I can go on assignments now?" Another nod. Jesse opened the box excitedly, inside lay a set of clothes consisting of a tactical shirt and pants, black chaps, chest and knee armor, gloves, a thick black shawl, and a leather gun holster..

"Figured these'd fit more your style." Gabe commented before setting the case that Torbjörn had given him onto the desk. He opened the case. Inside lay a sleek black revolver. The butt of the gun had gold accents and a red and steel grey spur was embellished into the end. "She's all yours." Gabe smiled. Jesse hadn't felt this happy in years, He used the back of his arm to wipe away a stray tear. "I got one more thing for you, special from me." He added finally. "Go change, and I'll get it." He ordered. Jesse was quick to go change his clothes. A few minutes passed and He walked out of Gabe's private bathroom, clad in his new Blackwatch gear.

"Well, How do I look now boss?" Jesse held his arms out and did a 360 turn.

"Like a real blackwatch agent. Lose the damn hat though. It's not regulation." He barked at him before he walked around to his desk and opened a drawer, retrieving a sleek black cowboy hat for Jesse. "But this one is." He held it out to the teenager to took it gratefully. "Consider it a late birthday present."

"Gabe, I… I don't know what to say…"

"Uhh, "thank you" would be a good start kid." Gabe rolled his eyes and folded his arms over his chest. Jesse wrapped his arms around Gabe in a hug, causing the man to groan in surprise. He smiled and ruffled Jesse's hair a bit before patting his back. Commander Morrison cleared his throat before speaking.

"If you two are finished with your moment, I have your first assignment." Jack smiled and held out a black folder to Gabe. The pair separated and Gabe took the folder, flipping through the files inside. "As both of you know, there are still small cells of the Deadlock gang still active across the southern portion of the country. We need to eliminate them before they get out of control. Sources say that there's a group planning a bank heist in Santa Fe, scheduled for tomorrow. I need operatives on the ground to take them out."

"With pleasure." Jesse said as he put his new had on top of his head.

"Leave as soon as you've prepared, there will be a jet waiting to transport you. Dismissed." Jack finished.

Preparations for the mission went quickly, and Jesse found himself on a jet with Gabe and one other Blackwatch operative, Cade, the one he shot in the shoulder when Blackwatch got the drop on his old gang the first time. They had ended up becoming good friends, even better sparing buddies. Cade was only a few years older than Jesse.

"Y'know… I haven't been to my home town in 2 years." Jesse broke the silence. Gabe had his head down and his eyes closed, resting before they landed.

"Oh don't get all sentimental on us now McCree." Cade jested. "You gonna be able to take the shot when you need to?" he added. Cade always joked about mistrust when it came to Jesse, it was a running joke with them.

"Hell yeah I will be… specially if its one o' them bastards what killed my momma, I still got their faces stuck in my head." Jesse responded.

"You know, there's one thing I never got about you McCree, Why didn't you lead Deadlock as soon as they killed her? They didn't have anything to hang over your head anymore." Cade asked, this piqued Gabe's interest, he opened his eyes and looked over at Jesse.

"Weren't that easy." He started. "See I'd already done a few jobs for them before then, and they had my number, so if I did leave, they'dve sold my name to every sector in the south. I'dve been a dead man in a week." He explained then held his arm out. "This symbol has weight to it, ain't nobody gonna double cross it and live to tell the tale." He finished.

"And here you are, telling your tale." Gabe finally spoke up. "They're not gonna lay a finger on you, not if I have anything to say about it."

Within a few hours, their plane had landed and they took a car to the safehouse that was set up for Blackwatch. Despite night having fallen, Jesse recognized this part of town, it was so close to his childhood home.

"Alright kids, get some rest, we got an early day of staking out the bank tomorrow." Gabe said as he dropped off his bag at the door. Jesse nodded and chose a room in the house. He waited an hour for the other two to retire to bed before he snuck out the front.

The walk to his home was short and brisk. He stood outside, staring at the porch where he and his mom used to sit and drink iced tea on the hotter days. He smiled at the memory before stepping up the porch and pushing the broken door open, it creaked and groaned from underuse and weathering.

* * *

 _Jesse pushed open the door of his home, the handle had been broken._

 _"Momma!" The teen called out before he noticed a pair of legs in the kitchen. "No… No No NO!" He sprinted into the room, his arm stung yet from the fresh tattoo, but he ignored it. The sight before him tore him apart. His mother lay in a pool of her own blood on the floor, her panties were around her ankles and her dress was hitched up slightly. Tears stained Jesse's cheeks as he carefully fixed her dress and pulled the corpse into his lap. He hugged his mother's body tight to his chest and sobbed, rocking back and forth. "Momma come back… come back!" He screamed before letting out a choked sob. "Don't leave me…." he cried._

* * *

Jesse found himself standing above the blood stained floorboards in the kitchen, tears streaked his cheeks. He wiped them away before heading out the back door. The backyard wasn't much to look at. There was only a simple clothes line that his mother would always hang the laundry from, and a shed with a basketball hoop on it that Jesse used while she hung said laundry. Next to the shed was a set of crosses stuck into the ground, one smaller than the other. The smaller one was for his dog that had died when he was 6, and the other, was his mother. He sat down next to the cross and pulled a cigar out of his pocket, lighting it and taking a long drag before exhaling and looking up at the stars.

"Hey momma… it's been a long time…" he started. "I'm 17 now… just turned a couple weeks ago, you know that already though…" he chuckled. "I'm sorta... a military man now, you'd be proud momma. My boss, Commander Reyes, Gabe… He's a hard ass, you'd like him for sure. Gets my butt into gear. Weren't for him, I'd be… well… I'd be worse off." He took another drag from his cigar before a familiar voice sounded behind him.

"I thought Ang told you to quit."

"Boss! Uh, sorry, I just…"

"It's fine kid, I don't care." Gabriel said as he took a seat beside Jesse. "This where she's buried?" He asked quietly as he took out a pack of cigarettes and tapped one out. "Don't tell Angela about this, by the way." He said as he put the filter between his lips and lit.

"My lips are sealed boss." Jesse smiled before looking at the cross. "Yeah… I buried her here next to our dog, figured she'd want that, she loved Bugsy."

"Jesus kid, you had to bury your mom?" Gabe said with surprise.

"Well yeah, no one else was gonna do it, ain't like my old man would pay for a cemetary spot." He scoffed. Silence fell between the pair.

"So, you think I'm a hard ass now, wait till later." Gabe broke the silence between drags. "Jack says I'm a nightmare in the field." He laughed. Jesse smiled over at him.

"How long were you standin' there?" Jesse asked.

"Long enough. C'mon kid… lets get some rest, you're gonna need it." The older man stood and motioned for the teen to follow. Jesse snuffed out the last of his cigar and threw it away.

"Be right there boss." He said as Gabe walked ahead.

"Well momma, guess this is goodbye for now… I gotta get some shut-eye before 'work' tomorrow…" he placed a hand on the cross. "I love you…" he whispered before jogging after Gabe and returning to the safehouse.


	6. Day 68: The Heist

" _Gabe, I need to talk to you about Jesse." Jack had approached Gabriel in his office. The Blackwatch Commander looked up from his computer and gave Jack a curious look._

" _What is it?"_

" _Well… I briefed you on the bank heist that's planned in Santa Fe. I gave the same brief to Director Petras to keep him updated. Jesse is going in undercover for his first assignment."  
_ " _Absolutely not!" Gabe stood and glared at him._

" _Gabriel, it wasn't a request." Jack seemed remorseful about it. "Trust me, I don't like it either, but it's the best way we've got to getting this group shut down."_

" _Does the all knowing Director know how insane it is to send a rookie undercover?" Gabe was furious._

" _Jesse knows them better than any of us, he knows the inner workings, and can get us valuable information. Hell maybe he can even take out a few of the big guns from the inside." Gabriel went silent at this._

" _Fine…"_

"Jesse, I've got to talk to you before we leave for the location."  
"Sure boss, what is it?" Jesse asked, setting down the file that Jack had given them the night before.

"You're not going to go in as a Blackwatch agent. I need you in your street clothes, Meet them in the back, you'll know what to do from there."

"You want me to go undercover?" Jesse would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous about the prospect of being back amongst Deadlock's ranks.

"We're gonna let the bank get hit, Director Petras has already made the arrangements. Cade and I are here to make sure things go off without a hitch…" Jesse thought for a moment before nodding a little.

"M'kay…"

"Jesse, this wasn't my idea. In fact, both Jack and I are against it, but this is above even the Strike Commanders head."

"It's fine Gabe, if this is what it takes to bring those bastards down, I'll do it."

Mid day had fallen across the town of Santa Fe. Cade had positioned himself on the roof of a building across from the bank that had become the target of the Deadlock Gang. Jesse was stationed at the back while Gabriel covered the side.

"Got a car pullin' up in the back boss." Jesse stated, he was leaned against the building, cigar in hand. A group of men got out of the car, holding duffle bags and heavily armed.

"Well well, if it ain't Jesse fuckin McCree. Heard you died in the sting a couple months back." One of the men spoke up in surprise, pulling down the bandana that covered his face. Jesse recognized him as Rhett Salvo, one of the members who was closest to the leader.

"I guess you heard wrong then, Rhett, I'm still alive and kickin. Heard you boys might need a little help with this'n."

"You heard right then, guess the boss got the word out to anyone who survived that cluster fuck. Roy, get Jesse a gun."

"S'alright, got my own." He said as he pulled out his gun from his holster. Rhett let out a low whistle.

"Where'd you steal that one from?"

"I got my sources, we goin in or just gonna stand here playin catch-up?"

"Well Shit, someone's eager." Rhett pulled a spare bandana out of his pocket and tossed it at Jesse. "Welcome back boy." He said as he motioned for the rest of the men to get in.

The heist went smoothly, no one in the bank put up a fight, as Jesse suspected. The Gang whooped and hollered as they ran out the back, throwing duffle bags full of money into the car and speeding away.

"Jesse You're a right natural, boss'll be happy to hear we got another one back. We're gonna deliver this right to him." Rhett pat him on the back and smiled. Jesse felt his stomach churn, He was going to see his father for the first time in nine years.

The car pulled to a stop at a dilapidated warehouse. The Deadlock emblem was graffitied everywhere on the steel building.

"Y'all unload the goods, Jesse, come with me." Rhett said as he motioned for Jesse. The teen followed and looked around at his surroundings. "You ever meet the boss, Jess?"

"Nah, just followed his orders." he lied as they entered the warehouse. Weapons were stashed everywhere, various members were working on some of the guns they had, undoubtedly getting ready for a shipment to some rebel rousers. Rhett led Jesse to what used to be the foreman's office. "Knock knock," He said as he opened the door. Boone McCree looked up from a ledger on his desk, locking eyes with Jesse immediately. "Found another survivor boss." the man explained, "Well, actually he found us."

"Hey pops," Jesse said, earning a surprised look from Rhett.

"The boss is your old man?"

"Thank you Rhett, now get out." Boone ordered. Rhett was quick to obey, leaving Jesse alone with his father. "How long has it been now Jesse, three years?"

"Nine actually, I was eight when you left my momma, m'seventeen now." Jesse tried to hold back the spite he held in his voice.

"How is Grace doin' these days?"

"She's dead Boone." Jesse was furious at this point, but he didn't want to blow his first assignment. How could he not remember? They stood in silence for a long time, Jesse could take the shot at any time, be done with him, but he didn't. "Anyway, bank heist went good, I'm gonna go help the boys out with the money."

"Jesse, listen… I'm sorry… for leavin you and your momma all those years ago… maybe I can make it up to you someday, do right by you since I never done right by your momma." Boone started. "cause I'm gettin older… gonna need someone to take over when I'm gone." His dad smiled at him, like it was such a privilage.

"Don't worry about it… ain't no good come from dwellin' on the past." Jesse said as he left the room. He walked past the lines of weaponry and made it outside. He turned down the alleyway, breathing heavily. His stomach flipped and he threw up on the ground. He wiped the sick from his mouth and leaned against the cool metal of the wall, sliding down and avoiding the puddle of vomit on the ground. He couldn't do this, could he? How long would he have to spend with these people? He wished he was back at the base with Gabe, and Jack, and Ana. He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply before standing again. He walked back into the building to be greeted by Rhett and now Cash.

"How come you never told us your old man was the boss?" Cash asked with a frown.

"Honestly? Didn't know until a couple days ago. I hadn't seen him since I was eight…" He sighed softly before looking over to the table where five men were counting out the money from the heist. "So, when's the next job?" He asked and looked back to the men.

"Got a delivery tomorrow, you want in?"

"Course, weren't that my specialty in the day?" Jesse said confidently. Rhett and Cash smiled to each other before looking back at the teen.

"Good, package is goin to a gang in the mexican part o' town. They're startin to make a name for themselves them… Los Muertos was it?" Cash looked to Rhett for confirmation. "Yeah, them… Got their own hacker, gonna wire us the money. You just gotta deliver the goods."

"Sounds simple enough." Jesse said. "I'll be back around tomorrow then, got some business to take care of for I do anything else." The teen moved out of the building again, going quite a way aways from the warehouse before reaching into his pocket and grabbing the phone Gabriel had slipped him before the mission started. He found Gabriel's name and called, it rang only once before the older man picked up.

"Jesse, what's going on, what did you find out?" Gabe answered.

"Gabe he's…. He's here… I talked to him… my dad…" Jesse sounded absolutely distraught.

"Jesse, focus… I know its hard now, but you need to focus." Gabe said, talking him down.

"There's… There's gonna be a delivery to a group called Los Muertos. I'll send you the address when I get it... " Jesse said after he calmed down a bit.

"Thank you Jesse… Jack's already coordinating a sting on the location they brought you to. We're gonna take them down, you hear me?" Gabe sounded sincere.

"Yeah… I hear ya…" Jesse looked around to make sure no one was around. "I better go before someone sees me." Jesse said before hanging up. He made his way to the Blackwatch safehouse, it was a bit of a walk but he didn't mind, he didn't want to stay in the same building as his father for too long.


	7. Day 69: Revenge

**A/N: Warning:** The end of this chapter has a minor mention of rape.

Jesse had found himself sitting at a bar, rather than the Blackwatch safehouse. Cash had picked him up on his way and told him a few of the boys were gonna go out for drinks to celebrate. Jesse figured it would be nice to unwind for a bit, so there he was. It was well past last call but the bar stayed open for the Deadlock gang, the owners clearly were under their thumb. A glass of whiskey was set down in front of him and he felt an arm wrap around his shoulder, a drunk Rhett leaned heavily against him and raised his glass.

"To Jesse McCree, and gettin one of our own back!" He slurred.

"I'll drink to that." Jesse played his part and tapped his glass to his before he took a drink while the other man slammed his. Rhett took a seat next to the teen before speaking.

"Y'know, I heard them Overwatch bastards took one of our boys in. Thought for sure it was you till I saw ya today." This made Jesse take another, longer drink.

"I ain't no yellow-bellied traitor. I would hope you think better'o me Rhett." Jesse frowned into his glass.

"I know I know, I just wonder who it was they _did_ nab, y'know?"

"Whoever he is, he's a deadman if he ever shows his face." Cash had come over to the other side of Jesse, he paled a bit and casually took another drink. "you say you ain't yellow-bellied, how come you didn't die there with the rest of em?" Cash was also very drunk by this point.

"I fought tooth an' nail when them bastards came, shot three of the four agents, including their commander," Jesse explained. "Pretty sure one of em died, got him square in the belly." He embellished the story a little, poking Rhett in the stomach. "'Sides, I weren't the only one who booked it. Shoulda seen how half them boys ran, like chickens with their heads cut clean off."

"Heard they had a lady with them, pretty blonde doc," Rhett looked like a wolf on the prowl at this comment. "You see her?" Jesse only nodded slowly. "Well? Was she a looker? Blonde? Short? Tall? Details boy!" Rhett elbowed him with a sly smile that made Jesse's stomach turn.

"She was alright.. long blonde hair, medium height and slim, pretty blue eyes, had a thick accent, German er' Swiss I think," Jesse trailed off before Cash groaned.

"Mmh I'd like to play doctor with her, know what I mean?" He elbowed Jesse too, the teen felt anger rise up in his chest. He downed the last of his drink before slamming the glass on the bar and standing,

"Gotta take a leak." He explained to Cash and Rhett's surprised response. He walked to the back and went into the bathroom. His fist found the concrete wall by the door, better that than Cash and Rhett's faces for talking about Doctor Ziegler that way. He took a moment to calm down. He used some paper towel to clean off his bleeding knuckles before exiting the bathroom before being grabbed by a man hiding his face and led out the back.

"Hey! Let me go you son-of-a-"

"Got a message for you from Reyes." Jesse's eyes widened when the man spoke. "Strike is tomorrow tonight, warehouse, keep the boss occupied. He won't hear a thing going on inside."

"I'll do what I can." he said before the man turned to leave. "You blackwatch?" He asked.

"Nah, just an informant, you never saw me, you hear?" Jesse nodded and watched the unknown man leave. He walked back into the bar. He felt excitement at the prospect of going home finally.

"I better go guys, gotta do that delivery tomorrow. Need some shut-eye." Jesse said before turning to leave.

"Suit yourself kid, see you tomorrow." Cash said, getting another round for the Deadlock members in the bar.

Jesse started out the bar before turning to head towards the warehouse. The streets were bustling with humans and omnic's alike, seemed that Santa Fe had become more omnic-friendly since he'd left. Jesse didn't give a care two ways about omnics, he hadn't met too many in his life to form an opinion of them, and he hardly paid attention to the news. He didn't have any stake in the crisis anyway, it was good for business when he was still with Deadlock. He weaved through a group of people before reaching the warehouse. It was mostly empty now, only a few emergency lights were on, and the foreman's office light. Boone was still there. He knocked on the door and opened it.

"Boss?" Jesse peeked his head in.

"Jesse, come on in boy. You ain't gotta call me boss, I'm your Pa after all." Boone stood and smiled at the boy. Jesse held back the scoff that rose in his throat. 'Some pa you've been.' He thought before sitting across from his dad.

"I been thinkin, You wanna come with me when I make the delivery tomorrow night? Give us a little time to catch up, y'know?"

"I'd be happy to son, y'know, I thought you hated me, for leavin' your momma." Boone chuckled. 'Oh I do, and for having her killed.' Jesse thought before shaking his head.

"Nah, I told you, ain't no good come from dwellin' on the past. I figure if you want me to take over this operation some day, I better get good with you," He faked a smile.

"You'd really take this over for me?" Boone asked in awe.

"Well why not? Be like the family business, I still got a lot to learn, but it'd be best if I learned it from you."

"You ain't got any idea how happy it makes me to hear that." Boone stood and walked over to his boy, giving him a hug. Jesse tried his best not to tense, his father smelled like whiskey, drunk like usual, so he didn't notice. Boone stepped back and looked over Jesse. "If you ain't got a place to stay, you could crash at mine." He offered.

"Nah, I got a place for tonight, gonna get some shut eye for now, see you tomorrow night." Jesse said, not exactly a lie. He did NOT want to stay in the same house as this man, he'd probably end up killing him in his sleep, and he wanted him to suffer more than that. Jesse left, finally making it to the Blackwatch safe house and crashing on the sofa.

The next morning and afternoon were uneventful, mainly consisting of taking inventory of the shipment and loading it up. When night fell, Boone left his office and followed Jesse out to the truck full of the arms to be delivered. Rhett was waiting outside by the truck.

"I'm comin with ya, I don't trust these Los Muertos fellas if the boss is coming with you." He explained as he got in the back of the truck. 'Shit… Just roll with it Jesse.' He said to himself before shrugging and getting into the driver's seat. Maybe this would work in his favor, he had heard Rhett was one of the boys there when his momma was killed.

"You know how to drive boy?" Boone asked as he too got in, taking a drink from the flask he procured from his shirt pocket.

"Course I know how, been doing runs like this since I was 13." Jesse said very matter-of-factly.

"You been with Deadlock since you were a boy?" Boone looked like he genuinely didn't know this fact.

"You don't keep track of every member?" Jesse started the truck and shifted into gear before pulling away.

"Nah, Rhett and Cash are my deputies, they're in charge of all that." He said as he pulled a pack of cigarettes out. "You smoke?"

"Not cigarettes." He said, flashing him one of his cigars.

"I'll take one boss, if you're offerin'" Rhett said from the back before Boone handed him the pack. They continued the drive in relative silence after that. Jesse's mind wandered to the warehouse, had they already done the sting? Just as the thought passed his mind, his phone rang. Boone gave him a perplexed look as Jesse answered.

"Yep? Nah I got the goods in the truck. Be there in a jiff." And with that Jesse hung up, a small smile plastered on his face. Boone and Rhett both dismissed it as pertaining to the delivery and didn't question him. After a few more minutes of driving, Jesse pulled into an airport and onto the runway.

"Hey, this ain't the drop site kid. The hell you doin?" Boone looked around before looking to Jesse.

"Shut the fuck up Boone." Jesse glared as he pulled up to a large black jet. Rhett made a reach for his gun but Jesse was faster. "Don't even think about it you son-of-a-bitch, get out. Both of you" he said coldly. Boone slowly put his hands up, doing as Jesse said with a furious look on his face. Gabriel met the pair on the tarmac and looked to both Rhett and Boone.

"Who's the extra?" He looked to Jesse with a frown.

"Stow away, I'll take care of him." Jesse said as Gabe grabbed Boone and pulled his hands behind his back with too much force, dislocating his shoulder. Boone cried out in pain.

"You piece of shit!"

"Whoops." Gabriel said sarcastically as he threw cuffs on Boone and pushed him into the jet. "Get moving."

Jesse kept his gun trained on Rhett, who was glaring at Gabriel's back before he turned his attention to Jesse.

"You _were_ the one they got to." He spat at the ground. "Fuckin' traitor." Jesse pistol whipped the man across the face, forcing him to his knees. The spur on the butt of the gun left a sizable gash on Rhett's face.

"Shut the fuck up." Jesse hollered and pressed the business end of his revolver against his forehead.

"You ain't never killed a man in your life Jesse McCree, you ain't got the balls to pull that trigger." Rhett smirked up at him.

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Jesse hit him again, harder this time, before pressing the gun to his head again. Why couldn't he pull the trigger? He closed his eyes for only a second, his mother's beaten face flashed in his mind. He took a deep breath before speaking. "Were you one of the boys who killed Grace McCree?" He said coldly. Rhett's smiled up at him, blood coating his teeth.

"You damn right I am… got a taste of the pussy that pushed your little ass out too. She screamed so good when we took turns with her." He smirked up at him. Jesse's eyes filled with rage and he pulled the trigger without a second thought. Rhett's head was knocked back with the force of the shot, brain matter and viscera splattered from the back of his head. His body fell backwards, a pool of blood started forming around his head like some sort of fucked up halo.

"That's for my momma you no good mangy dog." Jesse was breathing heavily, tears streamed down his face. A hand was placed on his shoulder and he whipped around, aiming at the assailant. Gabe put a hand up defensively before pulling Jesse against him.

"Come on kid. Let's get you home." he said as Jesse slumped against him. He helped Jesse into the jet before closing the hatch and sitting him down. Boone was knocked out in one of the seats, bruises were starting to form on his face. Gabe held Jesse close to him as he cried, shushing him softly.

"You did good kid, I'm proud of you."


	8. Day 70: Taking out the Trash - Part 1

Gabriel stared down the man in the interrogation room, his arms folded tightly against his chest.

"You gonna go in there or just glare the man to death through a one way mirror."

"Shut up Jack, I'm thinking." Gabe snarled. It had been a long time since something had put Gabriel in this foul of a mood. Jack placed a hand on his boyfriend's shoulder and looked over to him. "I'm gonna kill him… I just haven't worked out how." He sighed and brought his hand up to his face. He rubbed the sleep deprivation out of his eyes. He hadn't slept since leaving for Santa Fe the first time.

"Boss?" Jesse had come up behind the pair, his hands shoved in his pockets. "Can I talk to him… alone?" He looked up to Gabe hopefully. Jack looked between the two, curious as to what the Blackwatch commander would say.

"You sure you wanna do that kid?"

"Yeah. I need answers…" He answered right away.

"Fine, we'll be right out here just in case."  
"No." Jesse demanded, earning a surprised look from Gabriel. "Sorry, but I wanna talk to him privately… please?" Gabe did not like the idea.

"Come on Gabe, Jesse deserves this much. We can come up with a plan for this asshole." Jack said as he pulled Gabe along by the arm, winking back at Jesse. The teen smiled before taking a deep breath and walking into the room.

The man who fathered him looked rough, like Gabe just wailed on him for an hour straight. Jesse knew that it probably wasn't that long, Gabriel was a super soldier and would have killed him halfway through that time span. Boone had his hands cuffed behind his back, sat in a chair to wait whoever was to come in. He smiled when he saw Jesse's face.

"Jesse, my boy-"

"I ain't your boy. Not anymore." Jesse interrupted with a glare, sitting across from him. Boone's smile dropped instantly.

"You got my last name. **I** named you, not your whore mother." Jesse gave him a swift right hook across the table, Boone laughed and spat blood and bits of his teeth onto the ground. "You always were a momma's boy, clung to her skirt like the scared little boy you are." He gave him a broken grin.

"Why'd you do it?! Why'd you have her killed?!" he screamed, slamming his hands on the table.

"She weren't no use to me anymore… Your momma helped launder money from the gang since before you was born. She didn't wanna be part of it no more, said she wanted to focus on raisin' you right." Jesse jumped over the table and wrapped his hands around the man's throat.

"You piece of shit, I'm gonna enjoy watchin' you die!" Gabe ran into the room and wrapped a strong arm around Jesse's waist, pulling the teen off his father. Boone simply laughed and gave an evil smile to his son.

"Let me go Gabe! I'm gonna kill him! I'm gonna fuckin kill him!" Jesse screamed, thrashing and trying to get out of Gabe's grip. The Blackwatch commander actually struggled to pull the kid back, so much rage and adrenaline was rushing through him that he was putting up a decent fight against him.

"No Jesse! I can't make excuses for you if you kill him." He said, pulling the kid back further. Jesse thrashed more and escaped from his grip. He knocked Boone out of the chair and started beating his face. "Jack, get in here and help me!" He called out to the strike commander as he grabbed Jesse again. Jack rushed in and grabbed the other side of the teen, both men pulled him out as Boone laughed maniacally. "You shut the fuck up!" Gabe glared at him before shutting the door and forcing Jesse to sit and holding him there.

"Why'd you pull me offa that no good, momma killin' bastard?!" Jesse screamed, letting his emotions get the better of him. He didn't care at this point, he only wanted to see Boone dead.

"Jesse, You've already got one notch on your belt for your mother." Gabe started.  
"Let Gabe and I handle this, alright?" Jack added to him. Jesse's labored breathing calmed after a moment and the two commanders let go of him.

"I'm sorry Jesse…" Gabe wrapped his arms around the kid, Jesse nearly melted into Gabriel, sobbing and gripping his arm for dear life. Gabe looked back at Jack then to the door. Jack's eyebrows knit together in a frown before he turned and stormed to the door, knowing what Gabe was asking of him. He burst in and grabbed the bloodied man by the shirt, slamming him to his back roughly and straddling him. The blondes fist connected with his face several times before he stopped.

"Heard you liked to beat your wife, heard you beat Jesse if he had anything to say about it." He growled, shoving the man's head back down when he raised it to say something. "You're not allowed to talk anymore." He shouted, keeping his head down. "You're worth less than the dirt on my shoe," He got up and brushed himself off before moving away from the man, stepping on his chest in the process. The crack of ribs was loud in the quiet room. "Stay down where you belong." Jack growled and left the room. His hands were bloodied from beating the man. Cade and Matthews entered.

"Take him to the holding cell, don't be afraid to kick the shit out of him." Gabe said as he helped Jesse up. "Jack, take care of the paperwork and talk to the decoy. I'm gonna get Jesse to his room." Gabe said as he lead Jesse away from the interrogation rooms.

Jesse was clung to Gabriel's shirt the entire way, Gabe's arm around him kept him upright. No one they passed in the halls questioned them, partially because it was none of their business, but mostly because Gabriel had the most terrifying expression on his face. It was a mix of anger and concern for Jesse. Soon enough they made it to Jesse's quarters. He opened the door and help the kid inside, closing the door behind him. He sat next to Jesse on the bed. Jesse was finally able to let loose, his face was buried into Gabe's chest. The Blackwatch commander simply held the shaking boy.

"Shhh Jesse, it's gonna be okay." he hummed as he removed the kid's hat and stroked over his hair softly. Jesse sobbed harder.

"I hate him… I hate him Gabe…"

Gabriel's heart broke in his chest. This kid never had a chance with a father like that. Jesse's sobs calmed into quiet hiccups eventually. Gabriel had helped him lay down, setting the hat on the side table safely.

"Feel better kid?" He asked softly.

"A little." Jesse sounded absolutely exhausted.

"Try and get some rest," the commander said as he stood and went for the door, shutting the light off on his way out.

Gabe walked back to the interrogation rooms where Jack was sitting. He had his head held in his hands.

"Jackie?" Gabe placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder then sat by him. He looked up to the other, giving him a soft smile. "You okay?"

"How do you do it all the time? Circumventing the rules…" Gabe chuckled at this question.

"I'm not a boy scout like you," he grinned before looking to the ground, "after the first crisis, when you got promoted, I sort of figured this better suited me. The Director seemed to think so, otherwise I'd be in your position."

"Not this again Gabe."

"No no, Jack it's fine." Gabe lied, he was still bitter about being passed up even though he had lead the team that ended the Omnic crisis, "'Sides, I prefer Blackwatch, we fight like we're supposed to. Don't have to worry about all the red tape that Overwatch does. We fight like we did in the crisis."

"Doesn't it take its toll?" Jack gave him a morose look.

"Nah, I'm a super soldier after all." Gabe grinned at him to ease his worry.

"You're body is strong, not invincible, but what about your head?" Jack asked, running his hand over Gabe's head. "All the super soldier serum in the world won't change what hurts your mind."

"Jack… babe… I'm fine, alright? I know my limits, trust me on this one thing, okay?" Gabe rested his head on Jack's shoulder. Jack still seemed unsure, perhaps suspending Blackwatch's activities for a few months would help, Gabe's personality seemed like it had been changing since Blackwatch's inception.

"Alright… I'll trust you, but at the first sign of danger, I _will_ suspend Blackwatch." Jack warned. Gabe gave him a surprised look for a split second before rolling his eyes and smiling.

"Aw, you _do_ care."


End file.
